The Honorable Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, a retired member of the Maryland State Senate, received the prestigious Living Legend Award this weekend. Presented in Baltimore, MD at the annual gala of the Jamaican Association of Maryland (JAM), the award recognized Nathan-Pulliam for her extraordinary public service.
Nathan-Pulliam (seated with microphone) is the first Caribbean-born person and first African Caribbean American registered nurse elected to the Maryland General Assembly.
In 2016, she received JAM's Lifetime Achievement Award. Founded in 1997 as a human service organization, JAM hosts its annual educational scholarship fundraising gala in August to mark Jamaica's independence day.
Nathan-Pulliam served 20 years in the Maryland House of Delegates. Before being elected in 1994, she worked as a registered nurse. During her career, she was active with the Planned Parenthood of Maryland and is co-founder of the Black Mental Health Alliance and the Baltimore City Community College Nursing Alumni Association.
In 1997, she received a community service award from the National Association of Health Service Executives and the Maryland Nursing Association's legislator of the year award.
She was presented with a similar award by the Maryland Public Health Association. In 2011, the Maryland Hepatitis Coalition honored her as a Hepatitis Hero. In 2021, she received the First Citizen Award presented by the Maryland Senate.
Nathan-Pulliam retired in 2019 after being elected over two terms in the Maryland State Senate representing District 44. She previously represented District 10 as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1994-2024. Nathan-Pulliam worked for many years as a quality assurance coordinator, head nurse, and team leader at hospitals in Baltimore.
In October, Women of Color magazine will recognize Nathan-Pulliam as a 2022 winner of the Top Women in Healthcare Award at the Women of Color STEM Conference. These honorees have blazed a trail in healthcare, the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology industry, medical device industry, and other life sciences industries in the healthcare sector.
